“Stop antagonizing the master vampires. My stress levels can’t handle it,” Riordan said.
“You’re handling him well enough,” Donal said.
“Hey!” Wade said, trying to tamp down the flush that hit his cheeks. “Uh, we should go.”
Riordan snorted. “You don’t say.”
They hustled back to the parking garage, the streets weirdly calm and normal after the attack they’d just survived in the Green Fairy. Whatever magic Abhartach had bought to line the bar was definitely high-grade, because no one outside seemed to be aware of what had transpired inside. That meant they could leave Beacon Hill without the cops being involved, which Wade always thought was a plus.
They huddled around the pay machine on the ground-floor level of the garage to validate their tickets. Wade tapped Ella on the shoulder, getting her attention. She looked at him, wolf-bright amber eyes still red-rimmed. “Go home. Get behind a threshold. Niall came to target you personally, and you shouldn’t make it easy on him.”
“He knows where our territory is.”
“Do you have a safe house, then? Or maybe someplace outside the city?” The London god pack had owned territory outside that capital. Wade wondered if the Boston god pack had something similar.
Ella’s lips firmed into a hard line. “I’m not running away from this fight, not while that bastard has our alphas.”
“Niall is going to have his hands full tonight. Abhartach might not have agreed to an alliance, but he’s pissed, and he’s ordered his entire Night Court to hunt Niall. Lucien’s is going to him because he’s never said no to murder. Hopefully, that buys us time to find Casey and Harper and get Saoirse’s skin back before anything worse happens.”
“Vampires are useless during the day.”
“Most of them are. But there’s one in Boston right now who doesn’t mind the occasional sunburn. Niall knows that. He’ll probably be cautious so long as Lucien is here in the city.”
“I won’t have my pack owe that bastard.”
“You won’t. I promise. Trust me.”
Ella nodded. “I do. Despite hating that my alphas are suffering, I don’t regret reaching out to your pack.”
“Get home safe. We’ll talk tomorrow, but if you need me, you have my number.”
“Thanks.”
Ella and her pack members took the elevator up to whatever level they had parked at. Wade looked over at the selkies. “So what now?”
“I’m hungry. Let’s get out of vampire and fae territory and head back to the pub,” Saoirse said.
“You’re fae.”
“Our territory is better.”
He couldn’t really argue that. They split up like before, with Riordan joining Wade in his car for the drive back to South Boston. Wade was distracted by Riordan’s hand resting on his thigh for the entire drive to the pub and how nice it felt.
“Park in our driveway down the easement,” Riordan instructed once Wade hit the more residential streets closer tothe pub. Most of the street parking was taken, so Wade was glad he wouldn’t have to be circling blocks looking for a spot.
Donal and Saoirse were already inside the pub by the time they arrived. The place was packed, almost everyone there smelling like the sea, which probably meant selkies. What caught Wade’s nose and attention first, though, was the smell of fried food and lots of it.
“Fish and chips?” Wade asked hopefully as he followed Riordan to the back, where he could see Saoirse sitting.
Riordan laughed. “Sure, I’ll go put in an order.”
“Do you sell hamburgers?”
“How about I get you a couple of dishes to tide you over while we figure out our next steps?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Riordan headed for the bar counter while Wade went to join Saoirse at the table. Four pints of beer had already been served, and Wade snagged one as he sat down. “Where’s Donal?”
